The Aftermath
by lockiesaurus
Summary: A sequel to [Change of Fate] to continue the story of the five survivors outside of Heavenly Host. A story to tell of the future of all of the five. [Survivor!Seiko] (No need to read Change of Fate to understand the plot) WARNING: Minor use of coarse language, mentions of gore, mental instability and problems.


**A/N:** As promised, here's the next part of the story (: I excuse any OOCness, but I imagine Heavenly Host would change the students quite a bit, therefore I wanted to write them as I suppose more mature and scared. Not far from how they would behave mostly back at the school. I hope you like this part as well. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but there is a possibility of a third part (although that would end the mini-franchise) depending on where I go with this. Enjoy!

P.S. Instead of wanting to return to Heavenly Host, in this story Ayumi will turn somewhat crazy to an extent.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1:** The Fall

The last several months were unbearable. They rolled past slowly and painfully. Days began to shift into a whole, impossible to distinguish which one was which. Through all of that, each of the individual survivors dealt in their own way. Some were better than others. The others didn't know a good way to cope or refused to in the least. Lacking strength of physical and mental kind all of them betook a downfall.

* * *

Blue eyes focused on the doors ahead of her, Yuka chewed carefully on her lip, drawing blood. Flinching at the taste of copper, she wiped at her mouth with a sleeve, staining it crimson. Standing up on wobbly legs, loosing all touch with them, she drifted over to the curtains. It was early. Perhaps five in the morning. It's been a while since she slept properly. Closing the fabric to hide any light that would filter through during the sunrise hours, she returned to her bed. Bringing the quilt up, she pulled it over her head, snuggling deep into it until only her face seeped through, intent gaze still locked on the doorway. ‟Onii-chan...‟ She whispered, words drifting with the wind as light as a feather.

The room was bare, hiding what it once held. Little signs were left from her brother. Any significant information was deposed of in a quick and elegant manner. Within only minutes after his death, everything about him was forgotten. The fair young boy was no longer remembered as ever being a part of the living. His room was clean. Neither of his parents could remember why it was even there in the first place and why it was kept unused. Yuka forced them into not touching it, using all of her power to fight for what was left of her dear brother.

Even now, her parents keep pulling up what the room may prove to be for them. A great opportunity. If the wall was gotten rid of, Yuka would be able to enjoy a larger space. The young girl didn't want more space though. She didn't want them to touch the bedroom. Never mind them entering it. Usually, that ended in a fit. Tears of panic and anger bursting out of her, all control neglected. As she sat there, staring and remembering, fresh tears burned on her smooth skin, rolling excruciatingly down her cheeks, creating a few marks across the fabric she covered herself successfully in. With a dreadful sob, she shook her head, shying her face away with her hands, wiping at the tears furiously.

‟I'll try not to cry anymore. I promise, onii-chan. I'll be a strong girl so you can be proud of me.‟

Again her voice was small, only above a whimper that was blindly murmured to a pair of white wooden doors. It felt like an intense glare was still planted in them, taunting her and daring her to further grow into despair. How was she ought to handle this? As the months passed the girl found herself turning fifteen. Now that winter has settled over the city, the cold months flaring, she had forgotten completely about it. Almost all of them had gone through their birthdays without celebration. A party would feel out of place. Not without all of those people that they were forced into leaving behind. Without their presence, it didn't feel the same. It wasn't worth it. She tried to explain that to her parents who looked anxious but let it slip.

Now, she still kept in touch with all of her friends, she found their help to be truthfully wonderful sometimes. Most of the time, however, she dealt with everything on her own. The cellphone she's been given was sitting on her nightstand close by, untouched or days now. Thus it made her wonder whether or not she should attempt to call someone. Seiko, Naomi, Ayumi... God, Yoshiki maybe. Last time she did though they all were either equally upset, they didn't have time or didn't say a word, simply offering comfort in the fact that they were present. Every so often she would find an appropriate moment and they would try and converse with her, calm her down or offer a meeting. She kindly declined all of those offers.

At the course of the past days she barely left the confinement of the bedroom, left alone with all thoughts and wonders that may cross her mind, thinking and preparing herself for the next day of pain and loss. The amount she had to endure felt like enough but picking herself up was much harder than it would be assumed. Whatever spiral she was sent through didn't appear to end there. Who knew how long it was.

A knock, followed by a few more.

Eventually, tired with not getting a response, Hiro and Miho both entered the room. Hiro ran a hand through his hair, lifting his gaze to the cocooned figure whom he had to trust was his daughter. Miho looked nervous, slowly approaching and sitting on the edge of the bed at the right side of her child, Yuka's father complying and following, taking a seat opposite from his wife. As Yuka drew her gaping orbs from the doors to flicker between the two of them, she felt two pair of arms wrap around her. Her mother placed her head solemnly on her shoulder, while her father, being taller, instead rested on her cranium, putting limited weight onto her thin body.

‟Hello, darling.‟ Miho began, on the verge of tears.

‟Me and dad just wanted to say...‟ She began but trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

Hiro took over for her. ‟Yuka, dear, you haven't been yourself the past few months and we... we're worried about you.‟

‟You can talk to us.‟ Miho promised quietly with a frown.

‟You don't believe me,‟ Yuka pointed out softly. ‟you wouldn't believe me.‟

‟We'll try our best. We wouldn't complain or interrupt. Just tell us everything, please. Come back.‟

Loosing her demeanor, the woman began to cry, burying her head in the crook of Yuka's neck. ‟We're trying to help. Let us, please.‟ She sobbed with a whimper. ‟If I do... will you really believe me?‟ The girl asked cautiously. An action that Miho wouldn't like to see. It meant lack of trust. ‟Of course! You wouldn't, lie would you?‟ Hiro inquired in return with a fading smile. ‟No. No I wouldn't.‟ The petite girl agreed, nodding to herself. Discarding the cover of her quilt, she let her parents embrace her, returning the affection without a word. ‟Back at the day before the festival...‟

* * *

Stillness surrounded the young boy. Miki was ought to check on him soon, according to her schedule. After the events of Heavenly Host he distanced himself. He still attended school but was much less present in every other matter. He barely cared any longer, noticed by everyone surrounding him. His attitude turned snappy, temperament even shorter than it used to be. Many of the people that began to warm up to him once again made him secluded from society. He ate, sat and walked along, tracing the corridors with the heaviest feeling of loneliness that he ever experienced. Most of the group stopped arriving at the school. Not a surprise, honestly.

Out of the five of them only him and Ayumi still made an effort. Ayumi was still determined not to let her grades drop. Emotionally she changed. From a chattering and bright girl who made the attempt to befriend mostly anyone whom she met, she grew separated from the class, never bothering to answer question or volunteering for any sorts of activities that earlier would send into Heaven. Often, the bleach blonde found himself more worried about her than himself. She wasn't herself lately. She even despised the teacher that took Ms. Yui's place, even if he wasn't someone that should be complained about. His attitude towards them was nice, he was almost an exact copy of their previous teacher. Now he grew to understand her hatred. He was just like her. The world replaced her, leaving her soul for eternal agony in Heavenly Host, while sending Mr. Matsui to successfully and sneakily take her place in the universe.

With a groan of frustration, he gritted his teeth, leaning back, banging the back of his head on the wall that stood boldly behind him, grunting with the faint pain that throbbed through his skull. Frowning he shifted a little bit, picking himself up and pacing the small apartment that he could call his own. Since either of his parents wanted to see him, he was forced into the adult world too early for his own sake. Breathing in deeply to calm down, he searched around for the lighter that he kept somewhere. Reaching into the depths of his pockets, he found a box of cigarettes, the box itself crumbled and angled oddly.

Taking out a single of the cigarettes, he began to struggle to light it. The wick and fuel were too low to actually work, leaving the lighter ready to binned. Tugging at his hair, he threw both items across the room, hearing the content smack as it dropped onto the ground. The cigarette still between his lips, he chewed at the filter without much thought, almost automatically. Maybe he could find a match somewhere? He only needed a flame...

Looking around he finally released how empty the whole apartment was. It wasn't kept, filthy and stuffy. The binds were drawn leaving darkness to embrace him tightly. A single light flickered somewhere, screaming for a new bulb to be given in, which he could not afford. Huffing, the boy walked over to the tiny kitchen were he could barely turn around without banging into something, or sending a peculiar item flying across the ground. Truth be told, the place where he lived could barely be categorized as anything but small. In the matter of facts, it was painfully tiny.

Briefly glancing around, he opened a few drawers, only to find them semi-empty, or filled with junk that he did not particularly need, just didn't have a clue where else to put. Shifting through the vast majority of the items pretty quickly, he stood upright once more, tapping his foot impatiently. Perhaps he should go for a walk, calm down. His breathing was ragged and eyes were wide in fear and realization. He couldn't stay here. Too many memories, too many thoughts. Who knew what would come to mind if he was alone, able to think perfectly clearly, to search through his memories.

Even now it gave him an impossible ache across the chest, feeling like a stab wound was made with a smooth flick. Placing a hand carefully where his heart would be, he felt an unsteady beat, like that one of drums, hammering powerfully against his ribs. It felt like it was trying to break free... Maybe it was? Everybody that they've lost... how bad would it be to join them? Then again, they had no availability of a final resting place. He would have to be at the school to actually stay with them. Glaring at his hand which now clutched a fistful of material, he retracted his muscles. Yoshiki barely felt his hand anymore. It was there, clear as day, and still it felt like it wasn't.

Frowning, he carefully settled his palm on the cool worktable of the kitchen, closing his eyes and attempting to calm down. ‟I'll be fine,‟ He assured himself. Something he truly did need and only realized now. ‟I'll make it through.‟ He vowed sincerely. Or as sincerely as he could with the constant nagging at the back of his mind to remind him he couldn't be certain of what would happen.

Broke out from thought by a buzz, the boy cocked his head off to the side in wonder. Nobody has called him in such a long time. During some times, he couldn't help but wonder whether they remembered that he was alive. He became one with the shadows, a ghost trailing through the paths created by the living. Little attention was paid to him on a daily basis, therefore it was a hardly common thought that perhaps at some stage a human being may still bear any concern for his well-being. Patting his pockets, he glanced about to see where he would have left the device. Nearby, on the sofa where he would usually sit and eat, a light ignited, creating a soft blue aura to appear from the tiny screen of the flap.

Pulling it over, he answered without looking at the name of the caller. "Hello?" He asked plainly, voice hoarser than he believed it would be.

‟Hey! Are you in your apartment? Mind if I come over in... ten minutes maybe?‟ The excited chide of his sister blasted through the receiver and he smiled.

‟Not at all.‟

* * *

The brunette huffed a strand of loose hair that fell to cover her eyesight, blinking up and down the street. Everything was in a usual excited buzz of motion and voices, one screaming over the other. Trailing lazily through the town, her amber gaze scanned the area with warmth twinkling with a certain little shine that was often seen in the depths.

Families were walking by with a certain slow pace, others a little faster as they scurried through the streets, some parents pulled excitedly by their children, or parents softly tugging at their children's arms as they began heading for new shops. Eyeing the scenery ahead of her, Seiko walked over to a café that stood proudly nearby, purchasing successfully a coffee. The beverage was steaming through the cap that covered the top of the cup. Clutching to it with both hands to spread the warmth. Pulled upon her hands was a pair of fingerless gloves.

The piece of clothing was old, not being able to afford new ones. Since her mother has vanished, she barely could afford new things. While her siblings were made sure to receive proper treatment and fresh clothing and other desirable items, the older girl was able to easily sacrifice any of her wishes for the sake of their own. With a pocket of spare change, she walked around the town a little bit more, feet aching with the effort of moving around for such a long time. The ache was dull and slightly throbbing. Ignoring it was a task of low difficulty. Sipping at the hot liquid in her hands, the girl edged towards the local parks, lured by the soft picture of leaves swaying in the early autumn wind.

As she arrived, the cup was disposed of in a conveniently placed bin, which funnily enough littered the whole park. Shoving her hands inside of her pockets, fingering the few coins left within the material, she bought some duck feed. Although the coldness of the next few months was already knocking on their doorstep, the feathered creatures remained behind, enjoying splashing around in the blue of a lake in the middle of the park. Weaving through the trees with ease, she planted herself beneath one, gingerly opening the packet. A few of the birds were already looking in her direction with curiosity and greed. A few climbed onto the bank, waddling over.

Pulling her hand out with a handful of the seedy content, she threw it before her in a tight range, watching as the birds pecked at the feed with excitement, giving cries of joy. The quacks and squirms made Seiko smile, crossing her legs on the cool ground and sitting up, leaning forth and barely balancing properly to keep sitting up. Taking out a little bit more of the feed, she threw it out before her again, content with the cries before her.

The birds feasted cheerfully, shifting on their feed to show they craved more. This continued for a while. At some point, her fingers began to brush gently across the bottom of the paper bag, ceasing a frown on her face. A soft thud sounded from her right, causing her eyes to shift to the figure next to her, making her grin. Naomi. She haven't seen the girl in so long. After the incident of Heavenly Host, she spent most time in her bedroom, giving away into depression. The state worried her immensely, but she wouldn't let that show.

She understood perfectly why that would be the case, considering the option personally at least twice.

The girl looked much paler than she remembered, short hair already earning length, fluttering in the wind as she sat down, a smile of greeting on her sickly features. ‟Naomiiii!~‟ Seiko giggled, tugging the girl into an embrace in a greeting, inhaling her sweet scent for a moment longer than usual before backing out of the hug. Since the kiss, she felt that Naomi felt a little bit more uneasy in her companionship, usually bearing a face of contemplation when focusing on her. Still, they remained close. ‟Hi, Seiko.‟

Revealing from her chest, the short-haired girl opened another bag of feed. ‟I guess we came for the same reason...?‟ She motioned to the birds before them, scattering some of the food at their feet. They accepted without a complaining, biting into the seeds, searching for them between the grass. Seiko nodded softly. ‟I was on my way home from work,‟ She explained. ‟I only just finished my shift a little while ago.‟ Content revealed on her face, the brunette leaned back to place her back securely against the tree behind her, using it as support to keep herself sitting. Naomi hummed in response, acknowledging the fact that she was listening. ‟I thought I would come and visit. I haven't been out by myself, you know? I've been kinda busy, actually...‟ She continued.

‟Me too. I-I... I couldn't afford going out for a while. My mother told me so,‟ Naomi began her own sort of story, gaze cast down. ‟I had to visit my therapist and... and take the medicine.‟

Frowning, her friend listened, hearing every single piece of information that left Naomi's mouth with unknown intensity.

* * *

Honestly, after the Heavenly Host incident Ayumi was ought to leave behind the life of abnormality that became the psychic powers of the world. Still, she stood now, practicing some odd protective ritual with Hinoe. Her sister was sitting peacefully on the rug inside of her bedroom, fingers joined in an odd fashion as she mumbled a charm under her breath. The blue-haired girl copied such a pose to the best of her ability. Eyes also closed, she breathed evenly and calmly, feeling a strange shiver run through her body, chilling her to the bone, spreading warmth along with it.

It worked!

She could practically feel is pulsing within her veins. There were a few pictures before her, including those of face-ridden people whom were her friends that were lost to the curse. ‟Ayumi?‟ A slightly concerned voice rang through her head, bringing her back. She didn't want to go though. Numb with the feeling of safety and peace, returning to reality sounded like an overall bad idea. ‟Ayumi...? Answer me, please.‟ Hinoe. She was talking to her. Eyelids feeling heavy, the aching exhaustion working it's way onto her lips, she struggled to let out another word. ‟Hmm?‟ She mused, being all she could manage at such a time. Feeling a warm breath of relief against her skin, the tension that came through to her across from her older sister, relaxed visibly.

‟You need to come back soon.‟ Hinoe informed her, leaning back as she lifted herself into a more comfortable position, blowing out a bunch of candles that were set across the room. The scent that they released coated the air, creating a certain pleasurable thickness to it, not making it any harder to breathe at the same time. Picking the molten pieces of wax carefully into her hands, she set them aside to dry, scooping up the pictures off the floor in a little heap which she fixed and also set aside to return to Ayumi as soon as she demanded them. Cleaning the area with expertise, she sat back down on her knees, hands on her lap.

After a few moments, which gladly felt like a whole eternity, Ayumi opened her eyes to reveal the world again, a smile placed upon her lips. ‟That was such a great feeling...‟ She murmured in a hoarse whisper, air catching in her dry throat. During the whole ordeal, she missed the fact her mouth was hanging open making it go dry without a trouble. ‟It felt like drifting in this warm dimension away from this one... that really was fantastic. Thank you.‟ She whispered after a few more moments.

Nodding, Hinoe smiled pleasantly. ‟I'm glad to be of assistance. Now, help me clean up, would you? Put the candles in the top drawer over there,‟ She did as she was instructed, lifting her heavy body off the ground on wobbly feet carrying the candles over to their designated place, gently throwing them all in before closing the drawer and turning on her heels to face her sister, who by now had cleared everything else, holding out the few photos, purposely leaving the one of Yoshiki on the top, not to suddenly depress her with the memories of her deceased friends. ‟I'll go put these away. I'll see you at dinner, okay?‟ Ayumi asked politely, earning a nod of encouragement.

A small grin working its way on her face, she left the room and trotted quietly through the corridor, the short distance that separated their rooms feeling longer than usual. As soon as she calmly closed the doors, her back was pressed against the cool wood, tears running down her cheeks as she slid onto the floor, burying her face in her knees. Throwing aside the pictures of survivors, she spread four pictures of faceless teens before her, clutching her mouth with both hands.

Hiccuping in result of the sobs, she shied herself away, shrinking back. ‟I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I felt so happy seconds ago. I miss you all, I really do. And you miss me too, right? I hope you can come back soon.‟ Searching through her bedroom, making a mess out of the search, she pulled out a drawing pad, tearing out four pages. On those pieces of paper were drawings of the lost four, missing a few details and features being sloppy, but present. They were drawn as soon as she earned her strength back. Unfortunately that took a while due to the fact she was psychologically and physically not capable of doing much for a while after returning. ‟There you go. That's better, isn't it? At least I could give you your faces back...‟

Voice trailing off, she chewed on her lip. ‟Do you not like these? Oh? What's wrong? I see... Yeah, of course I can fix that. Thanks Suzumoto. So, what did Shige look like again?‟

* * *

Slipping outside of the house proved to be a sickly stressful and difficult thing to do. Making sure to take her medicine first of all so that her mother would have no reason to in fact trespass into the territory of her bedroom, the girl picked up her coat and made her way out of the apartment complex without much trouble, at first. Natsumi, her mother, was out shopping, therefore wouldn't be back for a while. Even then, Naomi rarely responded, therefore a singular call direct in her direction without a response wouldn't be enough to make her suspicious.

Snuggling into the warmth of her coat, the teen looked around. She barely dressed for how cold it was getting outside, causing her to shiver occasionally. Out of options soon enough, not wanting to accidentally bump into her mother, who would be more than furious with her, the girl began to head towards the local park. The hood of her coat was pulled up to shelter her ears from the cold. Hands shoved deep into the pockets, she walked with her gaze directed to the ground, looking obnoxiously like she had done something. Indeed, she have, but that was the least of her worries now. She was free. A feeling rarely experienced through the past... year, almost, maybe.

Quickly making the decision to buy feed and approach the lake to throw the seeds to any birds remaining, her gaze was caught on a similar looking figure.

Seiko.

The girl's presence made her heart flutter in ecstasy. Slowly, filled purely with hesitation, she approached, carrying a greeting smile, she plopped down by her side. Immediately after that, Seiko took it on her shoulders to fill the air with mindless chatter. The conversation began at her job. Then Naomi frantically explained her disappearance, making Seiko visibly sadder, eyes downcast and duller. ‟I'm sorry, Naomi!‟ She whimpered, making her companion frown in confusion. ‟If I knew, I would have done something about it!‟ She swore, looking on the verge of tears. ‟I-It's okay.‟ Unlike Seiko, she presented much less self-control, already in a mess of sobs and cries.

Warm arms embraced her tightly as she felt her best friend kiss the top of her head in one of the most soothing and kind actions she has experienced in a while. Her mother often tried to understand her but argued a lot, insisting on what she knew was not true. She screamed at her too, a lot... it all made her slightly more upset than she already was. As it was to be expected, Naomi was getting fed up with being treated such a way but had no choice but to live through it.

The embrace lasted a long while. Minutes, perhaps more. It felt so comfortable, right, that she didn't want to pull away.

At a certain time, Seiko did, guiding her head to her shoulder as they watched the lake shimmer in the setting sun.

‟I'm sorry, Naomi.‟ She repeated quietly.

‟It's okay. Everything's okay now.‟

Naomi drew in a steady breath. ‟I need to leave soon.‟

Clearly upset at such information, Seiko still nodded in understanding.

‟Right. W-Would you like me to walk you?‟ She asked, lifting herself up in a slow and steady set of movements.

‟That would be great.‟ Naomi tiredly agreed. ‟Does your mum know you're out?‟ The sudden inquire froze her body in the spot.

With a certain twinkle in her eyes, Seiko nodded, hair bobbing with the motion. ‟I see... is it that you sneaked out, Nakashima? That's not nice, you know?‟ She childishly lifted her index finger, shaking it as if scolding a child. For the first time in a while, Naomi smiled, the feeling flooding over her. It made her feel better. The presence of a friend worked wonders on her. ‟Heh. I guess so.‟ She agreed within a chuckle, walking ahead.

Falling into a beautiful, comfortable silence, the couple walked for a while until reaching Naomi's house. Darkness already had worked its way up the sky, the clouds turning a nicely shaded midnight blue as they hid the sun, which have fallen beyond the horizon a while ago. For a time, the strong sunshine radiating of the event sent long shadows to spread before them, reaching out onto different pieces of concrete and everything likewise. Thus a few jokes came from Seiko, earning a soft chuckle in response. Most of the seemingly funny things being said weren't in fact that funny, yet it was impossible not to laugh.

Seiko bore a certain atmosphere around her, where it was hard not to laugh at even the stupidest joke and thing she noted or observed. The girl was trustworthy and hilarious in her own way, able to cheer up anyone within moments. Geez, her presence was enough to almost send Naomi into cloud nine. As it was, she felt more than safe and happy as they walked back home, appearing crestfallen as soon as her house came into view. Seiko hugged her tightly in goodbye. ‟I'll visit tomorrow. Tell your mother that, would you? I'll be around seven. No way you're going through this alone.‟ With that, the girl began to walk away and Naomi watched until darkness began to fall and Seiko fell out of view. ‟See you tomorrow, Seiko.‟

* * *

 **M/N:** I apologize for not putting the chapter up earlier, but I found out I have an important French exam with only a few days to study, therefore I spend most of my time doing that. I still haven't had that exam (the teacher didn't arrive for the lesson, not leaving the test behind either for us to do in a cover class) so I may spend a lot of time trying to study. At the same time, in two weeks I will have my other exams, around ten maybe. You can imagine that I need to spend time studying for that too. Afterwards, however, once I'm much more free, you can expect a chapter every week, maybe every few days. I'm not sure how I'll go by updating this story. See you with the next chapter hopefully relatively quickly!


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